Oaths
by words behind my eyelids
Summary: After Zeus throws Hepheastus off of Olympus, the gods realize that he is out of control. If you think that you would enjoy the verbal butt-kicking of Zeus, please R&R. My first non-poem!


**Oaths**

"_For I have thought thee fair and bright_

_Who art as black as hell, as dark as night."_

_ -Shakespeare_

Hestia sat down beside the hearth of Olympus staring moodily into the fire's depths. She had tried to tell herself that Lord Zeus was simply having a bad year, a bad decade, a bad century, but this had gone far enough, and he was only getting worse. Now he had thrown his own son off of Mount Olympus and backhanded Hera when she confronted him. She knew that Hephaestus would survive; Eris (1) would help him by keeping disaster away, and Zephyr would slow his descent when the time came but really, the child must be terrified. Her baby brother had been their savior from Kronos, their leader and their hero (2). Now, she and her family had been forced to watch as he sank lower and lower, a mockery of his former self. This had gone on long enough; it was time for her to collect on an old debt.

~*~

When Dionysius had returned to Olympus, Hestia had relinquished her throne as a favor to Zeus, and in gratitude, he had promised her that if she ever wished to become part of the council again, he would give up his own position to accommodate her wishes. It was a promise she had never intended to make good on. She now realized that it would be the only way to protect her family from his self-destruction—and she would do anything to keep them from harm. Whether they liked it or not, gods always kept their promises, and Zeus had sworn upon the river Styx.

~*~

"My Lord Zeus," Hestia called, striding purposely across the pavilion towards him. The other gods stopped to listen; no one dared address the King of the Gods in such a direct manner these days.

"What do you want, sister?" he very nearly growled.

"I have come to address your inexcusable behavior—and to make good on an oath you once swore to me. In short, brother, I have come to regain my throne on Olympus."

~*~

"_You cannot be serious_!" he bellowed furiously. His cold blue eyes darted around, glittering with rage.

"I have never been more serious, my brother. I cannot, will not, allow you to drag Olympus down with you. If you wish to sink to such levels of depravity, you will do so elsewhere. You know as well as I what you swore upon the sacred river Styx, and such an oath is binding, relinquish your throne, brother. "

"I never would have thought you capable of such malice, Hestia," he snarled, glaring at the hearth goddess with hate-filled eyes.

"Malice, brother? I take no mirth from this. And as I am collecting on a promise, I will leave you with one: I, Hestia, goddess of hearth and home, swear an oath upon the river Styx that if you leave Olympus and return, well and truly reformed, that I will gladly abdicate from the council, may it bind me all my days." The other gods muttered in the background, glancing uncertainly between the two Olympians, waiting to see what Zeus would do. He roared in fury and raised his hand to strike Hestia, only to be thrown backward by Ares.

"You'll not lay a hand on her" he growled dangerously, slinking an arm around her waist. Hades suddenly materialized in front of Zeus, Persephone at his side. The spring goddess produced vines of ivy, which snaked around the sky god's ankles, immobilizing him and contracting mercilessly.

"I believe it's time for you to leave, brother," Hades said, his tone carefully polite and disinterested, "Unless you wish to contest an oath sworn on the river Styx, the penalty of such a crime being exile from Olympus?"

"It would appear that your presence is no longer welcome in these halls, Zeus," Persephone added, her usually mischievous hazel eyes solemn and devoid of sympathy.

"Leave now…" Apollo and Artemis hissed in unison.

"…Or we will make you," Poseidon finished. Faced with such opposition, the god of the skies had no choice but to concede. He tore the wreath of laurel from his head and threw it at Hestia's feet.

"You'll regret this, _sister_!" Zeus snarled, and vanished in an angry cloud of storm grey smoke.

~*~

After Zeus disappeared (3) the council met to discuss who would lead in Zeus' stead. Hades and Poseidon both had their own realms to look after, and Hera was too distressed to handle the responsibilities of command. Demeter was nominated, but declined, saying that she was content with her own domain, and couldn't handle the added burden.

"Athena, as you are goddess of wisdom, would you consider leading us in Zeus's stead?" Persephone queried.

"I will," she replied after a moment's hesitation, "Hestia? Do you believe that Zeus can reform; do you think he will return? I confess, I have neither the desire or the capacity to reign forever."

"I hope so," the hearth goddess replied. She feared for her brother. Either he would return as the hero he had once been, or he would destroy himself. But whatever he chose, she feared that Olympus would always rise and fall with him. "I hope so."

**A/N (1) see a previous story of mine, **_**Perfect**_

** (2) See a previous story of mine, **_**Hero**_

** (3) If you like this and review, I will post the sequel to this fic, which details Zeus's ordeal, and his return.**


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